Argentine Tango Video Lessons

Argentine Tango is a great dance with lots of flair and passion. You will need to develop a good sense of balance and having control of the dance frame is a must. While Argentine Tango stands as its own style it is recommended that you also learn some ballroom dancing to help you with this dance. The dance position in AG is very compact and the foot movements are very small as Argentine Tango does not travel around the dance floor in great amounts.

The different styles of Argentine tango Dancing:
Here is a great introduction of how the different styles of Tango evolved over time and with it the techniques and steps used in this dance.

How to dance the Argentine Tango to music
In this video you will learn how to count the Tango. Once you find the down beat of the music you will be able to use different timings to create slower or faster movements. Watch the lesson below:

Argentine Tango dance lessons:

The basic step – Tango 8-Step Basic video lesson:
Here is another video tutorial that shows the steps very clearly. The man’s and lady’s steps are show individually before putting them together.

Some Leading and following tips for Argentine Tango dancing
Learning different Tango moves is just half the battle. You also need to understand how to lead and follow your partner. Argentine Tango is a very social dance that is mostly danced with the man initiating the moves and the ladies following his moves. The man has to indicate the moves from his body by pushing or pulling with his whole frame (not arms). And the ladies have to respond to the leaders lead and prepare their steps in advance.

The walking technique Explained:

Photo credit: http://www.tripalbum.netWalking is basic to most tango step patterns. This makes it easy to get started dancing right away, though there is surprising complexity behind this apparently simple activity. You will learn more about that in each lesson.

For now, start the music, close your eyes, and listen for each major beat. Then begin stepping in place to each major beat. When you feel natural moving to this rhythm, open your eyes and walk around the room, trying to step exactly on those major beats. Don’t worry about anything else; just practice this SLOW SLOW rhythm for a few minutes. This rhythm is central to tango, though as you become more expert you’ll learn how to spice up your dancing by varying this basic rhythm.

Now walk some more. This time, walk counter-clockwise around the outside edge of the floor. This is called the Line of Dance; it helps dancers avoid running into each other. (If other people make it impossible or dangerous to follow the LOD, you may briefly travel against it or even cross the empty center of the floor, then continue the LOD.) Place obstacles in your path to simulate people (or imagine them), then curve your walking to the left or right to go around them.

Tango Dance hold explained:

No other dance connects two people more closely than the Argentine tango, emotionally as well as physically. Part of this is the dance position. You face in the same direction (the woman’s right, the man’s left) and so dance almost cheek to cheek. You also keep your arms around each other for the entire dance.

Take your partner (real or imaginary) in a standard dance position. Keeping your upper body straight, shift your weight onto the balls of your feet. This will push you and your partner very lightly together, helping weld you into a couple.

If you’re a man, pull your partner toward you with your right hand behind her back. If you’re a woman, place your left hand on your partner’s upper arm just above his biceps and push against him. Both pull and push should be as gentle as you can make them and still remain firm.

Extend your other arm (the woman’s right, the man’s left) to the side in the usual ballroom manner. Do NOT let your arm sink like a lead weight, or flop around like wet spaghetti. Instead press very lightly against your partner’s hand. During practice you may want to keep your “balance” hand flat against your partner’s palm rather than clasp it. This way any lapse in pressure will cause your hands to slide apart, giving you instant feedback so you can quickly fix the problem.

It’s a good idea to practice dancing with an imaginary partner with your arms and hands properly placed. This will strengthen your muscles and habits so that you can keep a good frame without thinking about it.